South Korea Faces Decrease in Elementary School Students as Birth Rate Plummets

Due to the low birth rate, the number of elementary school students in Seoul has decreased every year, and this year it fell to the 50,000 range for the first time. This year, the number of elementary school students in Seoul is 59,492, including national, public, and private schools, a sharp decrease of 10.3% compared to the previous year. The photo shows Seoul Hwayang Elementary School in Gwangjin-gu, which closed in 2023, on the afternoon of the 3rd. /yunhap news

Last year, the number of birth registrations among 17 cities and provinces nationwide was 7,693 in Chungcheongbuk-do alone, an increase of 1.5% (117 cases) compared to the previous year. The number of birth registrations in the remaining 16 cities and provinces all decreased compared to the previous year. Amid analysis that the number of births last year decreased to 230,000 and the birth rate also fell to the lowest ever level of 0.72, it is worth paying attention to what policies North Chungcheong used to achieve such results.

It is still a one-year result, so it is necessary to wait and see whether it will have a lasting effect, but many analyzes say that the policy of giving 10 million won in cash when a child is born is behind the fact that North Chungcheong is the only region to increase the birth rate. Since January of last year, North Chungcheong Province has been providing a birth and childcare allowance of 10 million won in cash over five years to babies born in this region. It is said that this policy helped couples who were hesitant to have children due to financial burden decide to have children. North Chungcheong Province sees the housing problem as one of the main causes of low birth rates and plans to build apartments on idle land and promote ‘half-price apartments’ to provide young couples at a low price.

In the third quarter of last year, Korea’s total fertility rate fell to an unprecedented 0.70 people. Statistics are pouring in every day showing that the low birth rate is at a level that warrants concern about the extinction of the nation. More than 2,000 daycare centers are closing every year. The aftermath of low birth rates is affecting elementary schools, middle and high schools, universities, and even the military like dominoes. At the end of last year, the U.S. CNN broadcast a report analyzing that the world’s lowest birth rate had emerged as a new enemy for the Korean military.

All possible means must be taken to put a stop to population decline. However, due to lack of budget or lack of appropriate policies, it is difficult to create an opportunity to reverse the low birth rate trend. The government as well as other cities and provinces need to analyze North Chungcheong Province’s performance. The performance of North Chungcheong Province shows that the birth rate can be increased only when society bears at least a certain portion of the economic burden of childbirth and childcare. We must urgently prepare groundbreaking childbirth and childcare policies at the national level so that young people do not feel the burden of getting married and having children.

2024-01-05 18:14:00
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